So here in the north east it is starting to get cold. There should be a few weeks left of ridable weather but winter is definately on its way. I was hoping some one could give me some detailed instructions on storing my bike. Thanks

NJH

Heated or non-heated storage?

The owners manual has a good break down.

What I do in my non heated garage is fill up the fuel, add fuel stabilizer, run the bike for a bit to work it into the carbs then set the bike on some wood so the tires don't rot.

If you have a clock on your bike disconnect the battery. Either way it's going to die so get a charger for the spring.

You can do a lot more but I never do. Haven't had any problems.

Couple of things to add here. First, you want a battery tender, not a charger. Get one made for bikes. They don't really cost more you just want one that's rated at 1.5 amps. Car battery tenders charge at higher level and will fry your battery.

Second, bring the battery inside if you don't have heated storage. It'll just make it last longer. Batteries don't like extreme heat or cold.

Finally, cover the thing up. Other than that, not much else I do, but I have heated storage that I get for a whopping $25.00 per month.

You can drain the carbs, some people do, some people don't. Like Steve says, put some fuel stabilzer in it (Sta-Bil, Seafoam, etc, etc, etc), ride the bike to get it into the fuel system (carbs, etc). Follow the directions on the bottle. More is not better. :D

I also like to stick a rag into the exhuast/intake to reduce moisture (and other stuff) from coming in. I also find that doing this helps start up better too, easier starting for parking for a week or so

If you got a battery tender then you don't need to disconnect the battery, just plug it in every few weeks or at least once a month.

I like to drain the fuel from the carb on top of adding fuel stabilizer.

But then again here in the bayarea don't need to do any of this cause we got year round riding, except like this last winter when it rained for 5months straight.

There's something else I thought of. If you have your battery hooked up to a battery tender for a long period of time, and you don't have a maitenance free battery. You'll have to check the fluid level in the battery and possibly add some more water.

The constant charging will evaporate the fluid. I believe the 599 comes with a maintenance free battery, but it most likely would have been swapped out if your bike is more than a few years old.

The way to tell is look at the top of the battery. If you see little screws that come out to open it up, then you need to check it. The case will most likely be translucent when hash marks on the side.

Thanks for all the help. i just have one more questions. How do i drain the carbs? I know i'm an idiot. sorry

NJH

Very simple to drain carbs.

Under each of them is a tip sticking out (pointing down) that you can attach a tube or put a container under. On the side of each carb is a "star" screw (bronze/gold) which unscrews and lets the gas escape through the drain hole mentionned above.

Hard to explain without pictures, but someone might have some. or just look at your carbs and you should see them.

hope it helps

In the spring you'll have to do a fair amout of cranking to get the bowls to fill up with gas again. So don't freak out if your bike doesn't start right away.

One thing I always do every year is spray all the visible metal parts down with WD-40 . It tends to keep the parts from rusting. also spray some down the pipe.

When its time to bring it back out you don`t have to wipe any off it will just burn as soon as it gets hot.. smells a bit and may smoke a little..

smells a bit and may smoke a little..
Winter up there sounds fun!
Have heard good things about Seafoam...

smells a bit and may smoke a little..
Winter up there sounds fun!
Have heard good things about Seafoam...

I've used in my cars, never a problem. I don't if it actually does any good though. :D

I also use it as my fuel stabilzer for winter. Again, hasn't harmed anything. Fuel is liquid as it should be, not jelly or varnish.